Good morning, Hubsters. MK Flynn here in New York with the US edition of the Wire. Today, we’re featuring an in-depth look at some of the challenges in managing clinical trials of new drugs and how private equity firms are investing in companies that are trying to address them. “This is where private equity excels,” Daniel Berglund, partner and co-head of healthcare at Nordic Capital, told PE Hub healthcare reporter John R Fischer. It’s graduation season, and I imagine many of you are attending ceremonies this Spring. Some of you may even be speaking at them. On Saturday, Thoma Bravo co-founder Orlando Bravo delivered the commencement address at the American University’s Kogod School of Business in Washington, DC. He spoke to the graduates about what it was like to try to enter the world of private equity in the late 1990’s. I’ll share a brief excerpt from his speech below. Tomorrow, I’ll be moderating discussions at PEI Group’s Women in Private Markets Summit North America 2025. I’ll share a preview of the event. Where private equity excels In today’s globalized pharma environment, technical and supply chain challenges in the clinical trial process create ripple effects felt by stakeholders across regions and functions. This has created new opportunities for private equity firms to invest in companies that develop clinical trial management systems (CTMS) and related software, writes John R Fischer. To find out what’s driving PE investments in CTMS companies, John spoke with Daniel Berglund, partner and co-head of healthcare at Nordic Capital, Joe Manning, senior partner at the Riverside Company; and Alex Despo, director of the health tech team at investment bank Union Square Advisors. Upgrade to the premium version of the Wire for insights on why PE firms are investing in CTMS developers. Stay with it When Orlando Bravo received a JD/MBA from Stanford University in 1997, he faced a discouraging job market, he told the graduating class of American University’s Kogod School of Business on Saturday. He was rejected by hundreds of PE firms. The head of one of the largest private equity firms at the time told Bravo that “private equity was already a mature industry, that for people like me and my generation, therefore, there wasn't much opportunity to be a leader in it. That was 1998. Can you believe it? Of course, that was wrong. Of course, private equity wasn't taken back in 1998.” The type of private equity that Thoma Bravo does – backing software companies – didn’t exist back then, Bravo said. In the commencement speech, he echoed comments he made to PE Hub previously. To learn about the lessons Bravo passed onto the next generation, upgrade to the premium version of the Wire. Women in Private Markets Summit Tomorrow, I’ll be at PEI Group’s Women in Private Markets Summit North America 2025. In the morning,I’ll be conducting the keynote interview with Nicole Musicco, managing partner, Square Nine Capital. The former CalPERS executive will share her thoughts on what’s next for private markets. In the afternoon, I’ll be moderating a panel on navigating the current state of dealmaking, featuring speakers Dina Said Dwyer, founder, CEO and CIO, Eden Capital; Lydie Hudson, co-founder and president, Citation Capital; and Cheryl Strom, partner, origination, The Riverside Company. I hope to see you there! Cheers, MK Read the full wire commentary on PE Hub ... | 